ESPN’s “Body Issue” Reveals A Lot

After we saw the leaked photos of Serena Williams and Sarah Reinertsen, nude, on two covers of ESPN‘s first-ever Body Issue, we knew we had to get our hands on a copy. And today we did.

The Oct. 19 issue has seven different cover variations, each featuring a different athlete. Ours features a glistening Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic basketball player. Inside the magazine, there is more nudity than we had expected to see in ESPN, especially since a lot of the naked and nearly naked bodies belong to men. The story that shows photos of athletes’ scars and other physical costs of dedication makes sense, in our opinion, for the magazine. The numerous images of athletes without any or many clothes? Not so much. Our only guess is that ESPN is trying to attract more women readers. And we’re not complaining.

Click through for the full, somewhat NSFW version of the above photo featuring the D.C. United soccer team.